Do you mind when breweries refuse to grow or expand?

100 million your kidding right, there not building rocket ships, its beer.

 

No, it's all precisely machined, stainless steel that is suitable for food-grade production in an industrial setting. Have you ever been in a brewery?

 

I actually demand easy access to shitty non sought after/coveted beers as well. Where do these jerks get off not catering to me?

 

yes many times, and even made a few tanks, long ago. Show me some number to back up them figures is all I am asking. Heck i know its not cheap, but a 100 million???

 

No joke.

http://beerstreetjournal.com/official-new-belgium-to-build-in-asheville/

 

Wow, you just don't know what you're talking about. Did I not just point out that New Glarus has already announced plans to add capacity to their still-new brewery? That they are expanding production from 100K barrels (already the 19th largest craft brewery) to 150K?

Also, the fact that they've chosen to focus on Wisconsin so far in no way proves that they won't ever go beyond its borders. Years ago they were at least in Illinois, so it's not like they have some deep-seated moral opposition to the idea. As long as their home state buys up all they can brew, even as they increase production by 10-15% a year, why on earth should they feel the need to send beer anywhere else? Because you feel entitled to it?

You asked why breweries weren't expanding, and singled out New Glarus as an example. I've given you ample evidence that they are, in fact, expanding - and yet you still call them "selfish" because they don't happen to send beer to your doorstep? Who exactly is the selfish one here?

 

That $100MM is hardly typical. It's not like they're just doing a build-out and adding a couple new tanks. It's 17.5 acres, includes a water treatment facility, etc.

 

This thread is asinine. As a business grows everything changes. If a brewer is being successful and living comfortably brewing small batches with a small, friendly crew, why would they want to change that? Why would they want to increase production by 5x, build a new space, fill it with equipment, hire 5x more staff and most of all: have to deal with the bullshit of being a large company?

Every company does stuff differently, and it's not really fair to be upset with a brewery for doing what they do best. How many times in life do you see quality go straight into the shitter once a company starts increasing production capabilities. ALL THE TIME!

Food for thought: The Alchemist is doubling production with their expansion, which should be done in November. Even with DOUBLING their output, they're HOPING to be able to supply all of VT, top to bottom, with headys. So doubling their capacity, which was already pretty big for a local place, they are still not going to have enough to get beer out to the rest of the country.

Sorry, rest of country, but I don't care about you being able to get heady toppers at your local store, as long as it means quality stays exactly the same. I don't want to deny anyone of the brew, but more importantly, I don't want to see any drop in quality.

 

I think expecting a brewery to go through everything it takes to expand a brewery (more money, more headaches, more problems, etc.) just so I can have access to more of their beer is the definition of being selfish. How dare they don't distrupt their lives to cater to me!?!?!?!... Let's see, they go through all the work/headaces/expense/RISK to make something like this happen, you just have to go buy the beer. How cold they do this to you, the nerve!

One of the more strange positions I've seen taken on this site.

 

thanks, one assumes that's not just the brewery, but many other things. Who knew it costs that much to expand, that is some serious money.

 

Selfish? Really? Does anyone every do something not looking out for themselves? Some people want to run small breweries in the same way that other people want to run small businesses outside of brewing. It's the lifestyle they want to lead. Hill Farmstead is another one that, although they have expanded, Shaun has made it very clear that he never even wants to be a mid sized brewery. Although technically I guess that could be considered selfish, I understand and respect that 100%.

 

Don't mind it at all. In fact, it's refreshing to see a business stay within itself. Too many times, a business expands and loses its focus. They start to cut corners or otherwise change the way they do business due to increased financial pressure like paying off loans, etc. The craft beer movement is all about small, local brewers who have a passion for their work and do not always adhere to the capitalist notion that bigger is better. What does sometimes get me going is when a brewery shrinks its distribution. Now you see it now you don't. But then again, a start up brewery doesn't necessarily know how popular its product is going to be so the net is stretched to ensure sales. There's enough choice out there so that if you can't get something from one area of the country because it's only distributed locally, chances are there's something you can get locally that scratches that itch. Being on the east coast, I wish I could get some of the local SoCal brews but there's plenty here that west coasters would want if they could get it so as far as I'm concerned - you can't miss what you never had.

 

One word comes to mind ... convoluted.

Cut to 1:46 ... yeah, she sounds like a very selfish person:


I think it is selfish of you to throw this post out there assuming every brewery you like will make a huge expansion jump ... aka gamble. When was the last time you went to the bank for a multi-million dollar loan or wanted to sell a product in another market where you have little to no control over? LOL. I'd love to know where this mindset of entitlement comes from? Wake up and smell the DIPA!!

 

There are a million reasons to expand, but a million more not to. Not least is worries about keeping quality. If a brewery ants to more or less stand pat, maybe a new fermenter or bright tank once in a while, I for one am fine with that as long as the beer stays great.

 

Sigh, I really wish OP hadn't said "selfish." That one word has derailed the whole thread.

 

Clearly, after reading your responses to everyone's point, you're greedy and entitled.

 

It doesn't bother me in the least, so long as they keep distro limited. What annoys me is breweries who distribute past their capacity, which is certainly not an issue limited to the smaller guys.

The bottom line is everything changes when you expand, and not always for the better.

 

What is selfish is demanding a brewery to grow so that you can acquire their beer more easily, most of these people just want to brew not become businessmen.

"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the Cancer cell"

 

There is a staggering amount of beer geek entitlement in this thread. Some brewers got into the business to serve their local community while doing something creative that they enjoy, and nothing more. Others may not want the headache and extra stress/workload that comes with expansion (what a bunch of selfish pricks, getting into the beer business for reasons beyond making an assload of cash!)

If Alpine, New Glarus or Russian River are fulfilled making a decent living and brewing for their regional market, they are not obligated in any way to grow or expand, just because some BA in Blurnsville believes it's somehow his god-given universal human right to have unfettered access to Fill in the Blank Ale. Get over it.